Mass Murders: An American Phenomenon |
January 14, 2013, 8:55PM |
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by: Analiethia topic: Life bookmark this article view bookmarked articles go to archives |
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| This is a consultation with a colleague...
A young man kills 20 children and 6 adults in a town in Connecticut. But why? I have worked with many of my colleagues and listens to killers as an expert psychological witness in murder cases, I have spent a lot of my time over the last few years trying to understand how and why young men and women kill, maim, and attack others. The mass murders like those in Connecticut, Colorado, Virginia are followed by shock, anger, and sadness. These are understandable first- hand reactions, but in the long run they accomplish nothing. As long as the discussion does not move beyond labeling these events "senseless violence," horrors like these, we will never move us closer to a place of deeper understanding. A greater understanding is crucial here, because understanding leads to more peace and less violence through preventive action. All the crime scene investigations in the world will not do this. Although all our instincts urge us to dissociate from the killer, achieving better understanding requires us to put ourselves in his or her shoes no matter how frightening and distasteful that may be, that my friends is why I did what I did with that unsavory woman. I have done this over the past few years, and I have learned that it is the only way we can understand a fundamental truth: Although to the rest of us, the observers and the victims, extreme acts of violence seem "senseless," these murderous acts make sense to the shooters. This is true whether it be Adam Lanza in Newtown, Connecticut; James Holmes in Aurora, Colorado; Seung-Hui at Virginia Tech; Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris in Columbine, Colorado, and the thousands of others who wage war against their society, either in the form of high-profile massacres, or the daily grind of shootings around the country that barely make the local news. How do we go about this process of "making sense?" Do not confuse this as a way of excusing it, but rather as a path to understanding and preventing violence. We start by recognizing that many young Americans (and other young people around the world) develop and carry with them a kind of moral damage, which some have come to call "the war zone mentality." No matter how it develops, they grow up with a damaged sense of reality. They view the world as if they are soldiers confronting a hostile environment that they perceive to be full of enemies. An example of that behavior being that they record everyone they speak with. Once they get fixated with their skewed world view, they may hatch the delusion that even teachers, and young children are their enemies. For Adam Lanza, apparently even his mother was an enemy who had to be destroyed. There is no one cause. It is as if they are building a tower of blocks, one by one, that can get so high the blocks fall over, with innocent people dying. Some examples of these building blocks can be found in dangerous neighborhoods, or schools rife with bullying. They can be found throughout the Internet and mass media. there are many, many web sites and videos that promote paranoid views of the world, and validate violent action in retaliation. This site being one on that list. You can find them in the pervasive and intense playing of video games, with the hands-on virtual violence that desensitizes young people to proxy killing. These games have become a psychological pathway to real killing by dampening impulses of compassion and altruism. The blocks can also come from a culture that supports access to lethal weapons. As many states have little to no gun control the crazy availability of guns like the Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle used by Adam Lanza that are, in effect, weapons of mass destruction when turned against children at school, or moviegoers in a theater or shoppers at a mall have cost countless lives. These weapons have no place in the hands of mentally unsound civilians. Moral damage and a misperception of reality, usually, are not enough to lead to murder. The typical killer is emotionally damaged and has developed mental health problems, perhaps exacerbated by being bullied and rejected by peers, or abused and neglected at home. He or she might be suffering from profound sadness, depression, despair, self aggrandizement and narcissism. The mental health problems that result from emotional damage require more, not less, social support, and not just from parents, who may be overwhelmed and ashamed of their offspring. The children and young men and women can be socially isolated because their damage makes peers and the community turn away from them, and that only compounds their problems. Couple deluded thinking and rage with the rationale of the war zone mentality, and the result can be a boy or young man ready to kill, sometimes with horribly spectacular results. This is more commonly seen in the "routine" killings that I consult on as a psychological expert witness in murder cases across the country. The crucial point is that even "crazy" people operate in a particular culture, a particular society, a particular time and place, and within a certain world view of how to manage your rage, your hurt, and your sadness. While not uniquely American (it has happened in recent years in Europe and the Middle East), the mass murder that took place in Newtown, Connecticut, is especially an American trait. Our increasingly socially toxic culture promotes paranoia, desensitization to violence, almost unlimited access to lethal weapons, opportunities to practice mass murder via realistic "point and shoot" video games, and games that justify violence as a legitimate form of vengeance in pursuit of an individual's or group's idea of justice. That begs the question, what do we do? We can improve mental health services in schools and communities, and discourage bullies by supporting the ones being bullied even if you don't like them. Many parents are frustrated that there is nowhere to go with their troubled kids. We can work harder at getting kids to share disturbing information with adults with the confident expectation that those adults will help not punish and stigmatize. We can get behind efforts to increase screening for people that wish to purchase guns. We can step up efforts to prevent kids from having access to the point-and-shoot violent video games. We can work harder at creating emotionally safe schools where bullying and rejection are antithetical to school spirit. We can do the same for online sites as well. One part of this is teaching boys that being compassionate and emotionally expressive is part of manhood in the 21st century. If we don't help, there will be more dead and wounded. It has become an American phenomenon, and an epidemic. Only by getting close to killers and finding out what we need to do to integrate troubled youths and young adults into society do we have any hope of preventing more carnage. |
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 Caekwalk |
I would posit that this "war zone mentality" is a result (if not a direct one then otherwise) of our current (and past) socioeconomic pressure. In any quantitative research, you will find deviations on either side of the line on the graph; the same should (but is not) considered in regards to people's psychological reactions to the coliseum of socioeconomic hierarchy we have built for ourselves. The point at hand is that the impetus for life is to be in a COMPETITION integral to our "happiness" instead HARMONY being promoted; the "look out for #1!" mentality has been steeped in all our heads like forgotten tea.
We cringe at all these obviously tragic events that appear to be happening more and more frequently, but can we in stark honesty say that we weren't expecting this? The only difference between the Roman gladiator fights and the current North American socioeconomic sphere is that now everyone has a sword in their hands, and everyone is in the fucking sand pit; not just the gladiators. OBVIOUSLY, out of EVERYONE competing, there are going to be outliers who will not take well to the absurd standards and extreme opposition life throws their way; their means of coping is manifest in chopping down that opposition in whatever form it may take. ------ OH SHI- January 14, 2013, 9:37PM |
 Analiethia |
Well put, a very assure observation. Only a fool wouldn't see it coming... ------ I will analyze you. ~Ana January 14, 2013, 9:44PM |
 Pinelli |
It seems to me the only people, by and large, that commit these spree killings are white men.
I think it has to do with the hyper-masculinization of violence and lack of community. ------ January 15, 2013, 1:27PM |
Caekwalk |
No denying that. I think that really depends on where you're looking at though; also consider how filtered the information people get from the rest of the globe's news is. ------ OH SHI- January 15, 2013, 2:16PM |
 Overman |
Here's what I think:
1) I seriously question the extent to which "violent video games" actually have anything to do with these shootings. Correlation does not imply causation. 2) I doubt emotional expression and openness about personal issues will actually solve anything, as I don't think these things really are the source of the problem. 3) The true source of this problem seems to be simple mental health, and therefore, the strongest suggestion you've made is that we "improve mental health services in schools and communities." Nearly ever shooting spree nut has been mentally unstable in some way or another. The rest of these suggestions seem more like they are attacking simple scapegoats than the actual issue, but perhaps there is some actual evidence to support these claims? As I've not heard of any, it would be nice to see some. So far, this entire article seems to rely on mere theory without much substance. To seriously think that youngsters perceive everything around themselves as "enemies" due to video games seems highly dubious. Normal kids don't seem to treat others like enemies; they seem to note the difference between fake world with guns and violence and no consequences and the real world of punishment and time outs. What everyone has done lately in reaction to these tragedies is confuse the effects of mental illness with every aspect of our culture, to the point of trying to ban video games and guns. But it seems to be a huge mistake, as we must remember that it's not ever day random people who commit these crimes; it's mentally unstable individuals who do not operate and function in a healthy manner, unlike everyone else. And thus, I think blaming social factors is not the way to go. This seems like a huge psychological issue driven by a true source we don't yet really understand, coupled with the relative ease of access to modern weaponry. January 16, 2013, 4:27PM |
Overman |
Here's a nice article with actual experts on the matter: http://dailycaller.com/2013/01/15/do-video-games-cause-mass-shootings-experts-weigh-in/ --- Again, that these shootings are caused by video games is highly questionable. January 16, 2013, 4:39PM |
Overman |
Here's another good article that discusses the link between mental illness and violent behavior. Moreover, it includes another thesis which I've been personally playing with since the most recent shooting: that perhaps these shootings may be the cause of both mental instability coupled with the economic inequity that makes it much more difficult for young men to establish themselves in society.
One psychologist who specializes in mass shootings noted that most of these shooters tend to be young narcissistic males who believe the whole world is against them when they encounter difficulties and failures in their lives (and perhaps rejection). So it's not too much of a stretch to think that perhaps this extremely "do it yourself" system of economics really puts so much pressure on younger people trying to survive that many simply "pop." Along with mental illness, it seems to be a very intriguing thesis with regard to this entire problem. http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/31/mass-murder-and-mental-illness-the-interplay-of-stigma-culture-and-disease/ January 16, 2013, 4:50PM |
Pinelli |
"But it seems to be a huge mistake, as we must remember that it's not ever day random people who commit these crimes; it's mentally unstable individuals who do not operate and function in a healthy manner, unlike everyone else. And thus, I think blaming social factors is not the way to go."
This of course misses the whole point that mental health care is a social issue. There are a number of factors involved but in truth it is bound to happen on some level over a long enough period of time. Clearly the issue has become exacerbated in America over the past few decades and the answers to many of our questions surrounding these events will be found in asking "Why?" It's interesting but the article you've posted seems to agree with my ideas on it. That it's an economic and social concern. ------ January 16, 2013, 5:34PM |
Overman |
Well of course mental health care is a social issue, but by "social factors," I'm more referring to sociological effects, such as video games and teaching environments, or things like that. But I'm glad you agree that there may be an economic source to these problems. January 16, 2013, 8:00PM |
Analiethia |
There will be a large number of mass murders in the coming months because of a predicted trend in the masses.
This coincides with a large number of people finally feeling the effects of being jobless for an extended time. The ones at most risk are the socially awkward because they are already unstable and have a feeling of rejection. Rejection coupled with financial difficulties on them or perhaps the parents of them causes strain on the relationships and as a result they may feel like a burden, or even may be told they are a burden, and as a result they feel resentment. This resentment can cause a large number of chain reactions most of which are relatively harmless, but an alarmingly large percent of them will attempt or succeed at suicide, 10-15% which is enough to take notice. But the number that worries me the most is the percentage of people that will lash out before killing themselves as a result. That number is less then the first but anything more then 1% is a dramatic increase. And the number is 4-6% this is alarmingly high! Nice catch... January 16, 2013, 10:16PM |
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